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Solomon
Islands flood victims ‘terrified’ after quakes
Food
prices quadruple – Thousands of children still displaced
19
April, 2014
By
Liz Burlingame
19
April 2014
(weather.com)
– A major 7.5-magnitude earthquake was recorded off the coast of
Papua New Guinea Saturday, and the tremors could lead to a tsunami,
warned the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The
earthquake occurred 42 miles southwest of Panguana at a depth of
approximately 6 miles.
A
tsunami warning was issued for both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon
Islands at around 9:40 a.m. EST.
The
new tremor marks the third major earthquake in this region in the
past week. On April 13, two separate earthquakes hit the Solomon
Islands with magnitudes 7.6 and 7.5. An earthquake with a magnitude
of 7.3 was also recorded off Papua New Guinea's remote Bougainville
Island on April 11, but there were no damage reports.
Earthquakes
that measure between 6 and 6.9 magnitudes are classified as "strong,"
whereas the ones between 7 and 7.9 are called "major"
quakes.
Solomons flood victims 'terrified' after quakes
Honiara,
14 April 2014 (AFP) – A series of powerful earthquakes off the
Solomon Islands sparked panic in evacuation centres filled with
victims of an earlier flood but apparently caused no serious damage,
aid workers said Monday.
A
7.6-magnitude quake woke residents in the flood-hit capital Honiara
early Sunday, followed soon after by a 5.9-magnitude aftershock, then
a tremor close to midnight that measured 7.5, according to the US
Geological Survey.
The
quakes prompted two tsunami alerts that were swiftly cancelled and
the Solomon Islands government did not report any damage.
However,
authorities in Papua New Guinea reportedly said there was one death
in a separate 7.1 quake that hit on Friday.
About
9,000 people remain homeless in Honiara after floods earlier this
month that claimed at least 21 lives. Save the Children's emergencies
manager Graham Kenna said the quakes sent many running for their
lives.
"It's
terrified the people who are in these displaced centres, they're
very, very frightened," he told AFP.
"Most
of them went for higher ground but then they rushed back because they
wanted to ensure what few possessions they have were safe.
"It
hasn't disrupted the work we're doing that much, but it's put the
people more and more on edge."
Kenna
said food and supplies were being distributed but aid agencies
estimated that only 40 percent of the items needed to cope with the
disaster had so far arrived in the Solomons.
With
regional stockpiles still depleted after Super Typhoon Haiyan
battered the Philippines in November, Hanna said additional supplies
were being sent from the Middle East and South Asia but could be
weeks away.
In
the meantime, he said preventing an outbreak of dengue fever, a
mosquito-borne disease already common in the Solomons before the
floods, was a priority.
"All
the extra water that's around is going to make the mosquitoes breed
like crazy and I'd say that when it dries out, probably in the next
three or four days, dengue's going to be a major issue," he
said. [more]
Food prices quadruple in Solomons after flood
By
Anna Cross
19
April 2014
(Newstalk
ZB) – Prices for basic foods in the Solomon Islands have quadrupled
following the floods there.
TEAR
Fund chief Ian McInnes says while the focus of the aid effort has
been on Honiara, hundreds of other communities are yet to receive any
help.
A
lot of market stalls are empty, but cabbages, tomatoes and root
vegetables are selling for four times their normal price.
A
result the government has pledged an extra 95-thousand dollars to
boost food production in remote communities.
Speaker: Acting New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Sarah Wong
15
April 2014 (Fuseworks) – Recent torrential rains, extreme flooding
and several large magnitude earthquakes in the Solomon Islands, have
affected 52,000 people, of which 26,000 are estimated to be children.
In the immediate aftermath of this series of natural disasters, much
still needs to be done to aid in the recovery effort and identify
gaps that still need to be met.
Dennis
McKinlay, Executive Director at UNICEF NZ said, "An area of
major concern for UNICEF is the continued large numbers of people
taking refuge in evacuation centres. Plans are being put in place to
consolidate the number of centres by closing smaller centres and
shelters currently housed in schools so that they can reopen for
classes. This strategy will only be beneficial if the remaining
centres have access to sufficient supplies and facilities."
"Adequate
health care supplies are needed to combat diarrhoea, malaria, dengue
fever, respiratory, eye and skin infections. Other major concerns for
UNICEF include the availability of counselling services, reports of
moderately or acutely malnourished children under five and the
general protection of vulnerable people including children and
pregnant women."
To
date, some electricity and water systems have been restored but large
numbers of the population remain dependent on emergency water trucks
or water purification tablets that need to be replenished. Destroyed
or damaged bridges are continuing to limit mobility and access, but
repairs have started and detailed assessments in rural Guadalcanal
are being carried out to assess the needs outside Honiara.
"UNICEF
is continuing to work alongside the Solomon Islands Government and
partners to provide a coordinated and effective response. While some
immediate threats have passed, now is the time when the people of the
Solomon Islands will need the most help. Critical ongoing needs
continue to be site management of evacuation centres, food, clean
water and sanitation and hygiene supplies," Mr McKinlay said.
Additional
needs identified include blankets, clothing, micro-nutrient powder
sachets, zinc, fuel, cooking utensils and school restoration to
minimise delays in the resumption of classes. Reinstating water and
sanitation facilities in schools is also a priority.
Mr
McKinlay added, "In Honiara alone, nearly 11,000 continue to
take refuge in 33 evacuation centres. Around 4,000 evacuees are
thought to be children. Conditions in the centres are still
inadequate for the number of people there and access to clean and
safe water and toilets in the centres and surrounding areas continues
to be the greatest concern."
UNICEF
has made available its contingency supplies in Honiara consisting of
water containers, water purification tablets, soap and hygiene
messages. Distribution of collapsible water containers has taken
place in Guadalcanal, while WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) kits
have been distributed to evacuation centres. UNICEF has also
purchased 50,000 bars of soap and additional supplies will be shipped
from Vanuatu and other UNICEF depots.
Mr
McKinlay added, "As those that can begin to return to their
homes, many others have been rendered homeless and will be in need of
greater help and assistance in the form of government issued ‘return
packages’. UNICEF will do all it can to support this process but
realises that it will take time and a further coordinated effort."
Donations
are urgently needed so UNICEF can provide essential supplies and
support the emergency relief effort. To donate go to:
www.unicef.org.nz/solomon-islands.
Items
such as food and clothing cannot currently be accepted due to the
logistical difficulties and costs associated with transporting items
to the Solomon Islands.
16
April 2014 (Radio Australia) – The Solomon Islands government is
still grappling with its post flood relief efforts.
The
main hospital has sent staff to deal with diarrhoea, dengue flu and
malaria outbreaks with damp conditions at the care centres hindering
relief efforts.
The
evacuation centres are still home to about 9 to 10 thousand people
where supplies for the families in the centres limited and bridge
access to Honiara is slow.
Solomon Islands' next challenge to repatriate flood victims: NZ
Presenter:
Geraldine Coutts
Speaker:
Acting New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Sarah Wong
WONG:
I mean in terms of I guess the state of Solomon Islands and where
things are I think it's useful to note that this has been an enormous
event for Solomon Islands, and in particular, Honiara and Guadalcanal
Province. It is a natural disaster that I can't thing of anyone, any
Solomon Islander that I've spoken to who have described some natural
disaster that's been worse than this and so it has taken people by
surprise and people the recovery period is going to be quite awhile,
this is many months of recovery for Solomon Islands. And I think that
the international community need to be on standby to help, but
Solomon Islands obviously need that space to work through some of
these very complex issues around repatriating families, working out
where people can rebuild, and also just the enormous task of
rebuilding the infrastructure and basic services so that Honiara City
and Guadalcanal Province can return to normal.
COUTTS:
New Zealand is working with UNICEF as are other nations to try and
overcome the concern about what's happening in the Care Centres at
the moment. They're crowded still, people aren't able to go home, the
schools are in use as kids haven't been able to go back to school and
now, on top of that, they're trying to avert another crisis of
illness in these Care centres. Can you just give us a status report?
WONG:
We are very much aware that, for example, in Honiara itself, along
the Metanico River, there are about 70 homes at least that have been
completely destroyed and will need to be replaced. So there is a bit
of pressure on the evacuation centres and where to house people and
so at the moment, the first wave of emergency response was to try and
get food and non-food items into those centres so that people had
some basic necessities to allow them to sort of stay in those centres
and get immediate shelter. But the challenge for all of us now is how
to repatriate people and what assistance each family gets, because
obviously different families have different circumstances.
The
local authorities are trying to collate as much information as
possible on what the current situation is for each family and then
based on their advice, donors like New Zealand, will provide
assistance to the authorities, through the authorities to assist
these families.
COUTTS:
But I'm just wondering now of the people who are in the evacuation
centres, what is the state of their health, is there a large
contingent now with diarrhoea, red eye, dengue, malaria and are we
worried about cholera and typhoid, those sorts of things?
WONG:
Oh, we definitely are. We know that there are an increasing number of
flood-related diseases, particularly, for example, with children. We
know that there's an increase in diarrhoea being presented. There are
also, of course, the usual risk of malaria and dengue fever.
Because
the local medical authorities here have noted an increase in cases
being presented at the National Referral Hospital and in one of other
local clinics. This is why New Zealand, along with Australia are
providing the medical assistance personnel to come in and help manage
the number of cases that are being presented.
COUTTS:
And, so how likely is that the evacuation centres will be available,
schools that are being used as evacuation centres will be available
next week for the kids. I mean they were supposed to have gone back
to school this week, but will they be accessible for the children to
return to school next week?
WONG:
Look again, this is an issue that we do know the Solomon Islands
governments is thinking very hard about. Half of the 24 official
evacuation centres are in schools and so the Solomon Islands
government is working through a plan on how they can consolidate some
of the evacuation centres. They are seriously looking at trying to
repatriate families over the Easter period back to homes where they
can, but, of course, they need to obviously. There are a number of
issues around are the homes in a suitable state for them to live in,
are they not in a flood plain. There are a number of things that they
need to take into consideration, but we do know that the Solomon
Islands government is thinking very hard about getting families,
where they can, back into their houses of the Easter period and they
have not given us a definite date on when the schools can be returned
to schools, but we do know that they are thinking very hard about it
and the international community are obviously in conversation with
the government about how we can assist.
COUTTS:
Some, we're told, will never be able to return home, because of the
areas are prone to flooding and their houses have been devastated so
they can't return. What's going to happen to them? So obviously
there's a short term and a long term answer to that?
WONG:
Yeah. So, look at the moment, what has happened is everyone has
focused on the immediate emergency response, so making sure that
people have basic shelter, basic food and other basic necessities to
ensure that they are safe and protected.
Going
forward, we are now starting to look at the medium term recovery and
the issues of the fact that we know at least 80 homes or so have been
destroyed and will need to be replaced and the questions of whether
they should be rebuilding in the same locations or whether those who
are in flood-prone areas should be looking at other areas to locate.
They are issues that area being considered right now.
The
Solomon Islands government haven't been able to obviously give us a
definite answer on where to place people where they cannot rebuild on
their existing land, but that is something that we are going to have
to give the Solomon Islands government the time and space to work
through. It's not an easy thing to do, but there are some people who
are going to have to find new locations to live. [more]
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